One day I noticed a piece of black electrical tape over one of the warning lights on the dashboard of Dad’s old Bronco. He explained that the problem could not be diagnosed by himself, nor the dealer, and he was sick of looking at it. Confident that the light did not indicate an actual problem, he blacked it out with a piece of tape. Dashboard lights are like people’s opinions. Don’t let them distract you. If the experts, gurus, doctors, pundits, or anyone else is telling you how you should live your life, listen to them with full awareness of their agenda. Better yet, notice how you feel when you listen to them. This is a warning.

Your beliefs are made from your repeated thoughts. You stack them up, thought by thought, brick by brick, to keep you safe from your fears. But this wall also keeps out a lot of good stuff, new perspectives, fresh ideas, and undiscovered talents. Over time, you plaster over the brick with your accomplishments (and your failures) until you find yourself a prisoner of societal labels and self-selected pigeon holes. When you chip away at the facade and expose the bricks in the wall, you free yourself to create a new life. Every day. Sometimes it’s hard to see it on your own. Stand8.com.

When you’re stuck, challenge your assumptions. Maybe you’re looking at it backwards. Explore the opposite point of view. WHAT IF...they were making raisins instead of grapes? WHAT IF...it’s not too late, there are no obstacles, it’s not your job? The limits were placed there by you. You chose to believe them.